February 2025 Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of High Lane Residents’ Association

Date: 6^thFebruary 2025 Time: 8pm

Venue: High Lane Village Hall

Present: Caroline Smith; Darrell Williams; Barry and Angie Sequeira; Sue Forrester; David Burks and a member of G.Mcr Police Force PCSO Iain Weir

Apologies: Eryl Hughes; Cllr Shan Alexander; John Baker

Welcome given by Caroline Smith

Minutes of the last meeting – approved (see item on Hartley Woods)

Police and Crime Report - given by PCSO Iain Weir. He reported that there were 12 incidences of crime reported in High Lane last month – amongst those there was an odd burglary and motor theft. High Lane has a very low crime rate – just 0.6% of Stockport crime rate overall. A committee member questioned the response time - 20 minutes with blue lights. He asked if there had been any shoplifting incidences in High Lane as the new Sainsbury’s store doesn’t employ a security guard.

Finances - in John’s absence Barry gave the treasurer’s report which covers December and January The HLRA General account started in December 2024 with a balance of £5,377.69. A donation of £200 was received from the High Lane Village Hall coffee morning club to go towards the park’s outdoor gym equipment. The outgoings from the account for December were only 3 items. There were two payments to cover the hire of the village hall for the November and December meetings of £20 each. One payment to IONOS for the website monthly charge of £9. The total expense being £49.00. The balance going forward to January was £5,528.69. During January no further income was received. Our annual donation of £10 was made to Marple Civic Society and one payment to IONOS for the website monthly charge of £9. The total expense being £9.00. So applying those payments the account stands for February as £5509.69.
Barry told the meeting that the War Memorial account is showing a balance of £2,025 and he gave thanks to Linda Morton for managing the books in the doctor’s surgery. He mentioned that they are oversubscribed at the moment and some books have been taken out and given to charity.

Planning applications - Dec 2024/Jan 2025 building applications read out by Caroline in Eryl's absence
a. North Cheshire C.C. DC/ 094339.Alt ref PP- 1364521. Application to reduce the height of trees bordering the mooring area to the south of the wharf. Trees growing on the bank 6ft high on one side and reducing to 0ft near the canal towpath, where boats are moored. This is causing concern as the height of the trees need reducing to make them safe. They are not cutting down or removing any trees only reducing the height and trimming. No roads or footpaths affected but close to High Lane Cricket Club and Norwood Ave? HAR/CA18 TPO 208E - OFN & HLCC
b. Roselaya - in addition to my original observations regarding Roselaya supposing that planning application was granted by Hazel Grove Area why is this one coming to the Marple area when it is nearer HG than the other? Initially I thought the design as inappropriate as it does not blend in with the others in the terrace. It is rather a curious design and not pleasing to the eye. Is it going to be linked to no5 which appears to be empty? The ground conditions do not look suitable and it appears they may have to excavate some of the bank at the back. It could be another issue where land is being filled in RIBBON DEVELOPMENT. It has begun to creep up the A6 ie land for sale opposite Shores Farm. What will be next - Station Farm?
c. Near Park View Buxton Rd, Hazel Grove DC/094729 sk7 6nb. Notice to inform that British Telecommunications intends to install a new 1 x10m medium pole NSI MR/STE/00Q
d. 39, Derwent Rd DC/092934. Discharge of condition 5. No ground works should commence until a completed Energy checklist has been submitted and approved in writing by the local authority. Energy checklist is acceptable and approved.
e. White House Farm Torkington Rd DC/080271. Discharge of condition 4 and 5 of planning permission. ROOF TILE - builder has identified that 90% of the stone work appeared structurally sound. Recommend a like for like replacement. Current tile is very brittle and thin. Replacement by reclaimed Bradstone tile with like for like tones to what is already in place.

Car Parking Charges – SMBC are introducing car parking charges which will apply to: Brookside Lane, Buxton Rd Library, Buxton Rd Medical Centre, Windlehurst Road High Lane car park. Charges will begin from 50p for an hour up to £2.40 for 10 hours (subject to review) 7 days a week 52 weeks of the year through a pay-and-display machine for cash payments or using a mobile phone app. Yearly parking passes for contract vehicles can be bought for £297 per annum from Monday to Fridays or £356 per annum for 7 days a week. Cllr Grace Baynham Liberal Democrat Member for Norbury & Woodsmoor Cabinet Member for Parks, Highways & Transport Services stated - “we have no plans to engage a private company to monitor the car parks, so the fees and charges will remain within SMBC. Some of the charges, such as residents permits, are only enough to cover the administration of the scheme. Any income generated from the other fees will be channelled back into the vital council services that our residents rely on” Cllr Shan Alexander also reports that: “there will be three free spaces at the Doctors/ Pharmacy car park for 30 minutes duration and disabled parking spaces as well”. Points arising were: how would the car parks be monitored – patrolling parking wardens or through number plate recognition cameras; would these charges increase the number of vehicles parking on residential streets and what would the impact be on the Village Hall and Scout Hut which are integral to the community of High Lane. Mike Morton emphasised that the Village Hall is a voluntary organisation managed by volunteers and it hosts a variety of events beneficial to the community. The U3A and the allotment users could also be drastically impacted. This footfall could be severely affected by bringing in car parking charges. Parking at the Village Hall has been a long standing problem with commercial vehicles, camper vans and residents parking there permanently therefore limiting parking spaces to regular users of the Village Hall and Scout Hut and it thought that the camper vans and commercial vehicles should be targeted rather than the community and there should be a waiver of car parking fees for the people who volunteer at the Village Hall and Scout Hut. It was observed that the work the volunteers do is not recognised by Stockport Council. Under the new parking scheme, residents who live within 100 metres of the car park entrance and have no residential parking, can apply for one parking permit per household at a cost of £47.50 per annum or Band A Leisure Key holders - £23.75 per annum. The erection of a height barrier was suggested to stop commercial vehicles and camper vans parking but it was argued that commercial vehicles need access when working in and around the hall. Another suggestion was to use some of the spare park land to create an overflow car park. This idea had been raised previously but the council said the ground was too soft and to use hardcore was too expensive. A regular user of the Scout Hut questioned that if the village hall car park was installed using lottery funding, if there is any part of that funding that states that the car park is not a commercial car park, it is to provide spaces for people to use the facilities – to be investigated. He also spoke of a scheme run by SMBC called (VCFSE) - Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise Sector (VCFSE) strategy which supports voluntary organisations as part of the One Stop Stockport strategy. Therefore the introduction of car parking charges conflicts with one of their strategies about supporting voluntary organisations. He recommended taking advice from councillors. A resident had used Copilot to research the history of the area going back to 1947 and he thought it might be worthwhile to see if this would reveal any covenants. It was decided a letter from the Village Hall Committee; the HLRA, the Scout Hut and the U3A objecting to the introduction of car parking charges should be sent to Grace Baynham and a follow-on meeting inviting Grace Baynham and the 3 local councillors should be set up as soon as possible before the next HLRA meeting in March. Mike Morton offered the use of the Village Hall to host the proposed meeting. Another suggestion was that at the regular Monday coffee morning, U3A groups and any other hall users, petitions are handed out for people to sign in protest of the car parking charges.
Identifying ‘Brown’ and ‘Greyfield’ sites as part of Stockport Plan - Stockport Council have asked High Lane Village to identify any brown and greyfield potential sites as a potential for development. As far as we know there aren’t that many sites that would be suitable for building on. There are instances of people applying for infill and they probably would not be refused. The only possible greyfield site identified is the old tip down Middlewood Road. Eryl and Angie have both responded to SMBC with their concerns about the development of brown or greyfield sites and Caroline emphasised the need for more contributions from residents to argue against any development in the village. David had received information at the end of January from SMBC to the HLVF including maps identifying 5 possible sites for development in High Lane. Angie had found a map labelled Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment updated October 2021 with no areas indicated in High Lane for development. Angie questioned where the maps with 5 areas marked out for a possible development had been generated from and by whom and was planning to contact the councillors about this. A form was provided to give feedback on these sites but the deadline for submissions was 2nd February and the form was not fit for purpose as one of the questions was “what type of development do you want?” Points raised by Eryl were read out to the meeting by Angie:
Litter Picking – Barry announced the date for the annual litter pick as Saturday 5th April.
Reporting Back:
- Hartley Woods – an item from the last minutes which stated that - all infected trees had been felled and the timber had been removed. Pathways are still to be completed using the chippings from the felled trees – was queried by a resident. Caroline reassured the meeting that the chippings were used to create paths from felled trees with ash dieback. The trees were felled because they were dangerous. Ash dieback is so endemic that using the chippings does not spread the disease further. 24 new trees have been planted by Treestation and bird/bat boxes have still to be installed. Caroline to meet with Phil from Treestation. SMBC have also planted some new trees around the village making 89 in total. A resident asked if Treestation was under contract to monitor the growth (or otherwise) of the new trees and Caroline answered in the negative and said that it would be up to SMBC to do that. It was agreed that local residents would keep an eye on their progress. Owen Taylor has offered to plant some native bulbs in Hartley Woods and it was suggested that he contact Warren and Alison who have already made a start on planting daffodils and tulips. Angie mentioned the CAN grant for improving the environment – see below.
- Trim Trail – David reported that he had received confirmation from Manchester Airport that the grant of £1735 had been extended. He has also applied to Ford Britain Trust for a grant of £3000 for the Trim Trail but he is still waiting for a reply. A donation of £200 had also been received from The Village Hall coffee morning. Monies received so far totals £6,500 and David reported that £10,000 would enable a decent Trim Trail to be installed. Other means of raising more funds for the Trim Trail were discussed eg a High Lane Village open day where local business could advertise and sell their products and Mike Morton (Chair of the Village Hall) suggested using the hall and park area - to be investigated further.
- Noticeboard Brookside Park – Caroline had received news from Helen Middleton that the noticeboard was due to be installed by the council on Friday 31st January. The noticeboard is for the official advertising of events in and around the village and Caroline is in possession of the keys if anyone wants to use the noticeboard for that purpose. It was noted that Sainsbury’s also have a noticeboard within the store.

10. A.O.B.

Clean Air Plan/Clean Air Zone – plans to make Greater Manchester (which includes High Lane Village) a clean air zone has been scrapped and an alternative proposal has been put forward by Andy Burnham to invest in cleaner buses and taxis.
Post Office – Cllr Aron Thornley (through the High Lane Village Facebook page) wanted to update local people on the Post Office in High Lane. He remarked that it has been good to see that our local MP is heavily involved in this local issue and there have been communications with the Post Office after the local branch was closed but there has been no interest, to his knowledge, from any regional/local postmasters to run a Post Office in High Lane. He asked that if anyone is interested or would like further information to direct message him on Facebook or email cllr.aron.thornley@stockport.gov.uk
CAN – Climate Action Now (CAN) Catalyst Fund supports community groups, not-for-profit organisations and schools to take local actions that tackle climate change and enhance nature and biodiversity. A grant for £1,000 to £5,000 can be applied for by contacting Stockport CAN fund at stockportCANfund@stockport.gov.uk or on their website – www.stockport.gov.uk/available-funds
Cable Network - Cllr Aron Thornley (through the High Lane Village Facebook page) reported that the internet cable network in the High Lane area is due to be upgraded. BRSK are the company who had won the contract for this work and they are waiting for a survey before they can plan the work. They anticipate receiving some feedback from the build team by the end of February. Aron had received this update from BRSK: “I represent BRSK, a full fibre broadband provider. We already provide full fibre services via our own network to much of Stockport and have been providing service here since March 2022. We are now expanding our footprint across the area and will be expanding into your wards. We already have a well-established process for working with Stockport MBC highways division and also the planning department. Although any apparatus we deploy does not need planning permission due to Permitted Development Rights, we do submit all new apparatus plans to the planning department for review. Our Community Liaison Officers are already working in the Marple area engaging with residents. With regard to dates for works commencing, we are currently in the survey phase in Marple. We do not expect to commence build work until late February/early March”

Fly Tipping – a resident remarked that fly tipping is becoming a problem around the village. Information has been recently received about a Neighbourhood restructure: see below -“I just wanted to let you know that there have been a few changes in the Neighbourhood team, and changes of roles. My new role is Street Care Officer, and I shall still be covering Marple South and High Lane, amongst 4 other wards in the Borough. So, I will therefore be dealing with street-based enquiries such as abandoned vehicles, graffiti, waste and bins, and general street care enquiries. Jon Headlam is now covering the greenspaces and verges, volunteer task days and risk assessments and allotments. Jon is aware that the current risk assessment covers all your activities up until the end of December. He also has copies of these. Jon is much more experienced in greenspace and knowledgeable, and also very approachable. His email is Jonathan.hedlam@stockport.gov.uk. Thank you so much all you for being such amazing people and for all the wonderful volunteering you have done and continue to do. It’s been an absolute pleasure, and I feel so lucky and privileged to have covered High Lane and met you all”. Karen Barnes. Street Care Officer
Lorries sounding their horns on the A6 – there has been some concern about heavy goods vehicles sounding their horns in response to a young lad who walks up and down the A6. A resident reported an incident where a lorry sounded his horn causing a driver in front of the lorry to slam their brakes on nearly causing a collision. The young lad in question is always accompanied by a carer – Caroline hopes to have a word with him about this issue.
Sainsbury’s – it has been noted that the new Sainsbury’s prices are 10% more expensive than the store in Hazel Grove. Caroline answered that this is because High Lane Sainsbury’s is a local store. An ANPR camera is being installed on Monday. Shoppers using the store have 45 minutes free parking and the manager has said that he is happy for people to go elsewhere in the village as long as they return to their cars within the 45 minutes. After this time the vehicle will be ticketed and a penalty fee incurred of £85.00. The manager stressed that the camera is run by a private company and has nothing to do with the Sainsbury’s staff. Caroline said she would check if vehicles using the EV chargers are allowed longer than the designated 45 minutes.
Waste bins – SMBC are in the process of making changes to the collection of resident’s waste bins eg the frequency of collections and which items you can put in them. An idea was put forward to invite someone from SMBC to the next meeting to clarify this issue. It was thought that residents should have a printed calendar of waste collections by April. Paying for the green bin collection could also be clarified. Non-driving residents have problems disposing of large items which normally can be tipped – the question was raised of having a central point in the village where larger items can be stored ready for collection.
Speeding on Hartington Road – a resident from Hartington Road asked if any measures are to be put in place after temporary barriers were placed on Hartington Road. Some residents have been known to put their houses up for sale because of the problem. Caroline thought that the speed check initiative would take place again and the idea of traffic calming measures was raised. Caroline would locate the report and feedback to the resident in question.

The next HLRA meeting will be on Thursday 6 March 2025 at 8pm at the Village Hall